Earlier this year, the Government in Westminster said that the NHS would be providing free abortions in England at the expense of the British taxpayer for residents from Northern Ireland. Abortion remains a devolved issue in Northern Ireland so it is beyond the jurisdiction of the Government in Westminster to legislate on this issue in the Province. Many people rightly recognised how this move directly undermined the Northern Ireland Assembly on this issue.

Now, this scheme has been extended to cover the cost of travel and accommodation that will be targeted at Northern Ireland residents on low incomes and, most shockingly of all, it will cover the cost of abortions for under 16s. It has been revealed that minors will be able to have free abortions, travel and accommodation at the expense of the British taxpayer and, more importantly, this can happen without the consent or knowledge of their own parents.

Northern Ireland, has consistently rejected the deeply flawed abortion laws that can be found in the rest of the UK. Now, abortion ideologues in Great Britain are attempting to subvert the democratic process and spread abortion to Northern Ireland through other means. In this case, by paying for Northern Ireland residents to have abortion in England.

This is a truly sad state of affairs that not only sees Westminster undermining Stormont on this devolved issue, but also completely fails to recognise and respect the rights of parents to raise their own children.

In addition to these problems,

• This scheme actually provides a financial incentive for women to have abortions as no additional funding or support is being made available to women from Northern Ireland who want to keep their babies.

• This scheme has not been made subject to Parliamentary scrutiny or public consultation.

• This scheme undermines the impressive figure identified by Both Lives Matter confirmed earlier this year by the Advertising Standard Authority, that there are over 100,000 people alive today because of the abortion law in Northern Ireland.

• The Government have now admitted that they expect abortion numbers to rise in Northern Ireland as a direct result of this scheme - leading to more loss of life and the further undermining of Northern Ireland’s abortion laws.

• Abortion providers BPAS and Marie Stopes International, who are going to see their abortion revenues increase as a result of this scheme, have maintained that they and a group of other abortion pressure groups were involved in developing the scheme with the Government.

For the Attention of Prime Minister Theresa May and Justine Greening MP,

Following the disappointing decision from the British Government to pay for abortions for women from Northern Ireland on the NHS, you will be aware that the Government has decided to extend this scheme to cover the cost of travel to the UK and have set up a centralised phone number specifically targeted at women from Northern Ireland.

This is a gross violation of the will of the elected Northern Ireland Assembly and consequently the will of the people of Northern Ireland itself. Most shockingly of all, it has been revealed that abortions will be offered to girls under the age of 16, if they are deemed sufficiently mature to understand what they are doing.

Once again, this is an attack by the state on the family and is deeply unconservative. Furthermore, this scheme positively encourages abortions for under 16s as no additional funding is being given to alternatives which seek to support them as parents.

There has been no parliamentary scrutiny of this decision and it undermines the neutrality of the Conservative Party on abortion.

This subterfuge is especially unwelcome as it was, earlier this year, confirmed that there are at least 100,000 people alive today because of the abortion law in Northern Ireland. This is a great achievement which the Government, in apparent collusion with the abortion lobby, are directly undermining.

Being responsible for providing the funding for this scheme, I ask you to rescind it (which you are fully entitled to as outlined in the Supreme Court decision in June). This scheme directly undermining Northern Ireland on this devolved issue and represents yet another intrusion of the state into family life by actively encouraging minors to have abortions without parental consent.